Salt Lake to Parley's Canyon (13.5 Miles)

Trail Description

The BST crosses City Creek Canyon Road at its intersection with Bonneville Drive. The trail heads up canyon on the south side of the pond, where there are a few parking spaces. The trail goes up canyon and then turns right and quickly begins to climb. The trail climbs over 1,250 feet out of the canyon within the first three miles. The trail crosses a flat bench after a set of swith-backs and crosses a wide trail coming from the Morris Meadows Trailhead.

At the water tank turn and climb up a pair of hills before the trail flattens and winds through a few ravines. The trail meets up with the wide track coming up from the Terrace Hills Trailhead, take this steady climb and rest at the top where the pipeline crosses the trail and people tend to congregate (this is the original top of "The Bobsled", the Bobsled has a new starting point built in 2007, a bench was added in 2008, just another 50 yards down the trail). The trail flattens and turns through a few more ravines, passing the access trails from the Tomahawk Dr Trailhead and the Limekiln Gulch Trailhead, before turning behind "U" mountain at Limekiln Gulch and decending Dry Canyon. At the bottom of Dry Canyon you can go right up the path to the Avenues Trailhead or left down the road to the Dry Creek Trailhead.

At the bottom of Dry Canyon head west down the gravel road, when the road turns south toward the hospital take the single track as it switchbacks up the hill. Head south at the signed junction or continue up the swithchback for the upper loop trail. Head south on a level and wind through a couple of ravines as you pass above the hospital. When you reach Red Butte Canyon the BST decends to Red Butte Canyon Road and the Red Butte Creek Road Trailhead. Don't take the trail that turns east into the canyon.

A portion of the Red Butte Creek Road Trailhead is inaccessible while remediation of the June 2010 Red Butte Canyon oil spill takes place. To pick up the BST, follow Red Butte Canyon Road as it curves and becomes Connor Road. Follow Connor Road to Wakara Way. Ascend Wakara Way (east) to Colorow Drive. Go south on Colorow Dr for 150 ft to the UMNH Trailhead. Climb back to the main trail, here you can choose the upper loop trail or the low trail. Continue south on a straight gently climbing trail for almost three quarters of a mile. Pass through the gate into This Is The Place State Park. Please do not enter the Pioneer Village, which is a fee area. Watch for single track to take instead of the road and wind your way down to Emigration Canyon road.

Cross Emigration Canyon road and go south on Crestview Dr. Turn right onto Wasatch Dr. and follow it south through the golf course and past homes until it ends at Stringham Ave. Turn right and then continue south on the bike path along Foothill Dr. Follow the bike path over the set of pedestrian bridges over I-80. You can take the new bridge across I-215 to connect to the Parleys Corridor Trail, this trail will eventually connect to the Jordan River Parkway. Otherwise stay on the path and climb the hill to the Parley's Canyon Trailhead at the end of Wasatch Blvd.

From the parking lot above the freeway head south on Wasatch Blvd. Enjoy the view of I-215 on your right and Neff's Canyon and Mount Olympus on your left. Stay on Wasatch Blvd. past Big Cottonwood Canyon. Some day hopefully trail will me built through this section. The Salt Lake County and the Forest Service have a draft plan for this segment of the trail, it will take a lot of volunteer construction work to get it open.
Click here to see the proposed alignment plan for Salt Lake County. Continue on Wasatch Blvd. past Little Cottonwood Canyon until you reach Hidden Valley Park in Sandy.

Access

City Creek Trailhead- From South Temple St take B St north up the hill. At the intersection of B St and 11th Ave. Bonneville Blvd decends into City Creek Canyon. Stay to the right of the one way street, bikers and joggers occupy the left side. At the bottom of the canyon park in the small pullout on the right side of the road. The trailhead for the main BST trail heading east to the Morris Meadows trailhead (1.1 miles) is on the right (southest) side of the canyon where Bonneville Boulevard intersects the City Creek Canyon Road at the U-turn. There are a few informal parking places at this trailhead but you may have to park in the main parking lot just beyond the City Creek gate. Restrooms and a water fountain are also located at
the gate. The second trailhead for the main BST heading north-northeast up City Creek and around the North Cove development is on the left (north) side of the City Creek Canyon Road, approx. 250 yards past the main gate.

Morris Reservior Trailhead- From South Temple Street go north on I Street (600 East) to 11th Avenue. Continue north on I Street for approx. 0.9 miles as the street becomes Northhills Drive going first northwest and then curving sharply to the northeast. Turn left (north) into the trailhead parking lot just east of the LDS wardhouse; the Morris Meadows water storage tank is visible directly to the north. Off-street parking is available in this trailhead parking lot. Walk north 550 yards on the access trail into Morris Meadow until this access trail intersects with the main BST. A carsonite post marks this intersection. The BST heads east (right) 1.0 miles to the Terrace Hills Drive trailhead and west (left) for 0.8 miles down to the City Creek trailhead.

Terrace Hills Trailhead- Take 11th Avenue east or west to Terrace Hills Drive (890 East). Turn north onto Terrace Hills Drive and proceed 0.7 miles uphill where the street dead-ends in a cul-de-sac where the trailheads are located. On-street parking is available at this cul-de-sac, but be careful not to block private driveways. The actual BST contours around the valley about 130' above this cul-de-sac and there are two access trails leading from the cul-de-sac to the main BST. The red metal posts on the right (south) side of the cul-de-sac (there is a cedar post with the BST logo there as well) mark the start of the east access trail. This access trail follows an old jeep road east-northeast about 0.3 miles until it intersects the BST on the ridge to the south of this cul-de-sac where you can continue southeast along the main BST. The red posts on the left (north) side of the cul-de-sac mark the west access trail, which climbs west-northwest up the service road to the water tank for about 0.2 miles, where it intersects the main BST heading northwest to the Morris Meadows trailhead.

Tomahawk Trailhead-From Virginia Street (1250 East) and 11th Avenue travel north on Virginia Street (it curves to the east) to Chandler Drive. Turn right (south) on Chandler Drive and proceed to Tomahawk Drive. Turn left on Tomahawk Drive and proceed 0.2 miles to 1407 Tomahawk Drive. On-street parking is available on Tomahawk Drive, but be careful not to block private driveways. The access trail begins just west of 1407--look for the chain link fence. Travel north-northeast for 0.4 miles (and 350' elevation gain) up to the BST.

Limekiln Gulch Trailhead- From Virginia Street (1250 East) and 11th Avenue travel north on Virginia Street (it curves to the east) to Chandler Drive. Turn right (south) on Chandler Drive and proceed to Tomahawk Drive. Turn right on Tomahawk Drive and drive approximately 100 yards. The trailhead is on the north side of the street next to 1553 Tomahawk. On-street parking is available on Tomahawk Drive, but be careful not to block private driveways. The BST is accessed by going northeast up the paved access trail (0.1 miles) into Limekiln Gulch, then taking the trail that branches off to the right, past the old limekilns, and then up to the saddle at the top of the gulch where it intersects the BST. This access trail is steep (350' elevation gain over 0.4 miles distance to the BST).

Avenues Trailhead- From South Temple St take I St north up the hill to 11th Ave. Go east on 11th to Popperton Park and continue east on Popperton Park Way to a small pullout on the left side of the road. If you enter a gated community you have gone past the parking area. Cedar posts mark the way along an asphalt path which proceeds east about 0.75 miles to the main BST in the mouth of Dry Canyon.

Dry Creek Trailhead- From Foothill Blvd. and Sunnyside Avenue (800 South) travel north on Foothill Blvd. to the second traffic light (Wasatch Drive). Turn right onto Wasatch Drive and drive through the next traffic light (South Campus Drive) and continue north until Wasatch Drive deadends at North Campus Drive. Turn right (east) onto North Campus Drive and proceed east through the traffic light and soon after turn left (north) into the Jewish Community Center (JCC) parking lot (opposite the entrance to the University Medical Center). The JCC has graciously provided off-street parking in the east end of the JCC parking lot. Please limit your parking to the east end of the lot and don't abuse the privilege of this off-street parking. From the east end of the JCC parking lot, walk through a narrow gate at the north end of the power station, and proceed about 200 yards northeast past the power station and along the old service road to its U-turn at the mouth of Dry Canyon. At the U-turn a brown carsonite post with the BST logo marks the start of this segment of the BST.

Red Butte Creek Road Trailhead- The BST heading SOUTH is inaccessible while remediation of the June 2010 Red Butte Canyon oil spill takes place. From Foothill Blvd. and Sunnyside Avenue (800 South) travel north on Foothill Blvd. to the second traffic light (Wasatch Drive). Turn right onto Wasatch Drive and drive to the next traffic light (South Campus Drive). Turn right (east) on S. Campus Drive into Fort Douglas and drive east through the Fort until you come to the north gate to Red Butte Garden (on the Red Butte Creek Road). Off-street parking is available in the parking lot directly north and across the street from this gate. From this parking lot, the BST trailheads are marked by cedar posts with the BST logo. Access the BST going south directly along the fence at the west edge of Red Butte Garden. Access to the BST going north starts at the cedar post on the north side of Red Butte Creek Road just east of the parking lot and the north gate of Red Butte Garden.

UMNH Trailhead- The BST heading NORTH is inaccessible while remediation of the June 2010 Red Butte Canyon oil spill takes place.Take 500 S or Foothill Dr to Wakara Way, go east on Wakara Way to the entrance of Red Butte Gardens. Turn right onto Colorow Dr and park 150 feet from the entrance of Red Butte Gardens.

Research Park Trailhead- From Foothill Blvd. and Sunnyside Avenue (800 South) travel north on Foothill Blvd. to the first traffic light (Wakara Way). Turn right on Wakara Way and travel east to the stop sign. Continue east to the Red Butte Garden entrance but turn right (south) on Colorow Way just before the Red Butte Garden entrance. Proceed south 0.3 miles and park along this section of Colorow Way just north of the driveway to the Huntsman Corporation building. An access trail heads east through oak brush next to a small spring for about 200 yards where it intersects the main BST trail. NOTE: Be careful of the poison ivy along the access trail near the spring.

Emigration Canyon Trailhead- From Foothill Blvd. and Sunnyside Avenue (800 South) travel east on Sunnyside Avenue to Hogle Zoo. Limited parking is available at the trailhead located immediately east of the This is the Place State Park east gate on the north side of Sunnyside. Off-street parking is also available in the east end of the Zoo parking lot. NOTE: Dogs are not allowed on the BST inside the This is the Place Trail State Park boundaries.

Parley's Canyon Trailhead- Take I-80 east and then south onto I-215 take the first exit at 3300 S. Turn left onto 3300 S and then left onto Wasatch Blvd. Park in the small lot at the end of the street.

Intersecting Trails

City Creek Canyon- Starting at the City Creek Trailhead City Creek Canyon is an easier "road" ride. It is a beautiful canyon hidden just minutes from downtown Salt Lake. Since it is so close to the city it receives a lot of hikers, joggers and bikers (both road and mountain bike). It is closed to bikes on EVEN numbered days and all HOLIDAYS.

The Bobsled- The trail descends for the BST and drops 1000 vertical feet over 1.6 miles. This is strictly a downhill - it is not recomended riding uphill on the Bobsled. In 2007 a new approach was constructed that is not as steep and rocky, a lot of work was also done in the bottom of the ravine to enable higher speeds.

Red Butte Canyon- The trail runs around the perimeter fence of the Red Butte Arboretum from Red Butte Canyon over to Soldiers Hollow. You can connect the ends of this trail into a loop via the BST and the paved road up Red Butte Canyon. It is a nice ride in either direction.

Parley's Creek Corridor Trail- A paved trail is envisioned following the Interstate 80 corridor from the mouth of Parley's Canyon to the Jordan River Parkway, a distance of about 8 miles. At the mouth of Parley's Canyon, the trail connects via a bridge over Interstate 215 to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. The Parley's Corridor Trail will be the major east-west connector trail through Salt Lake City and South Salt Lake City. From its connection to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail over Interstate 215, the trail will follow the Interstate 80 right-of-way past Parley's Historic Nature Park and Tanner Park to 1700 East Street. At this point, the trail would pass south and west of Sugar House Park to the site of a old railroad grade under 1300 East. The trail will pass over the rail yards on a bridge to be built for the West Valley trax line, and then decent to the Jordan River Parkway. A great deal of work and partnering needs to take place to make the envisioned route a reality.